Diamond Girl
by ricochet dunn
Summary: The search for the Diamond Girl begins.
1. Epilogue

What does it mean to be extraordinary? Many people walk the planet believing that they were meant do something great, something purposeful with their lives. They grew up with mothers that told them they were special. They did well in school or sports or in their careers and they began to deem themselves incredible or uncommon.

While these people live to their full potential (average and normal), there are others who live in fear of their strengths. They try to hide them or keep them secret from society. They are afraid of who they are and what they can do. It is easier for some than others, living like normal human beings. They go about their days like their neighbors, keeping their abilities quiet, hoping no one will notice they are different. Some are tormented by the remarkable talents they have been given, wondering why they have been cursed with these skills. They would do anything to escape them.

The X was a group of three men, brought together by their abilities: William Young, Adriano Suarez, and Stephano Rossi. These three men were brought together, all while at the lowest point in their lives. William had just left his pregnant wife who had not accepted him when he showed her his power. Suarez had been traveling for business and when he returned home, he found his wife dead and his six month old son injured, but alive. Stephano Rossi had just gotten news that his wife had been with another man while he was away, eventually leaving him alone with their newborn son.

The man that had gathered The X was one of great mystery and power. While most people with abilities had only been given one, he had been given several. He had been researching humans like him, humans with more than one ability. He came across these three men, all acquiring multiple powers. He brought them all together to see what they could achieve, accomplish.

They had gotten into trouble with another specials group, the Deviate, who were looking for a cure, so to speak, for the abilities. The man that brought the X together was murdered while trying to escape the Deviate. The other three fled. They decided to carry on the work of their collector in different parts of the United States, all focusing on different aspects of their powers. They created a home for the specials and other people with abilities called the Residence, where they did their research. They worked together and made many discoveries about their kind. They realized that the abilities were genetic; either passed directly from parent to child, or was even able to skip generations at a time. Suarez's and Rossi's sons had both discovered their talents at a young age, living with their fathers and developing their abilities. Gabriel, Stephano's son, had "broken through", as they called it at the age of five. He was kept out of public schools and stayed with his father at the Residence learning how to control his powers. Nico, son of Adriano, did the same, but hadn't broken through until the age of seven.

William watched the boys grow and learn about their abilities and couldn't help wondering about his own child. Where was he? Had he inherited the powers of his father? Was he able to cope with them or was he one of the few that cannot handle their talents and end up in bad situations? One day, he received an anonymous letter in the mail, answering all of these questions for him. His wife had had a daughter. She was sixteen years old, living with her mother in a small town in Maine. It had not stated whether or not she had inherited the gift, like Gabriel and Nico. He had to find her, see what she could do. He reported the news to his friends and they agreed to help him. They began searching. Searching for the Diamond Girl.


	2. College

"Look, Sloane, there it is." I looked up from my puzzle book and saw the beautiful Chicago skyline. It was silhouetted against a pink and orange morning sky. As we drove closer, the different colors of the buildings grew more prominent, the reflections on the windows more visible.

I had always loved Chicago. I had visited one time with my mother when I was twelve and fell in love with the city ever since. I loved the way the structures towered above my head, making me feel small yet significant in some way. I loved the always hurried vibe of the people and cars, trying to get where they needed to be. I loved the loud noises of the buses and taxis blaring their horns at each other and pedestrians in the walkways. It was my home. I could feel it as soon as I left the city. That was where I was supposed to be.

The car slowed to a stop at a red stoplight. I closed by book and stretched my arms above my head. "It feels good to be back," I said to my mother in the driver's seat. She looked at me with sad eyes. "What?" I asked.

She heaved a sigh. "I can't believe you're moving. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

I was moving down from Maine, where I grew up with my mother. I was talented in art and had been accepted to the only school I had applied to, an art school in Chicago. I had been thrilled when the letter came, but my mother, Caroline, was disappointed that I hadn't chose a school closer to home. She had cried the day we packed and most of the first day of driving.

We wound our way through the city to the Oak Park Apartments, where I would be living with three roommates, who I hadn't met yet. The Oak Apartments were in Oak Park, not far from Chicago. It was a new complex that had been built just for students of the Chicago School of Art and Design. There had been growing numbers in freshman and post-graduates and the dorms just weren't enough.

We turned left onto Madison Street and saw the tall complex towering over us. There were groups of people standing outside their cars, unloading their belongings and dragging them toward the front doors. Caroline pulled into an empty space and popped the trunk. We silently began unpacking my bags and suitcases and setting them next to the car. Caroline slammed the trunk shut and we each took three bags and walked into the complex. There were people scattered around the lobby: at the front desk, sitting in chairs by the doors, standing in circles talking to each other. It seemed as though everyone here was already friends with everyone else.

We got in line at the front desk and waited to check in. The line moved pretty fast and before we knew it we were getting my room number and roommate assignment. I looked at the list of people I would be staying with:

_Martin, Cassadee  
Andrews, Bethany  
Hill, Jen_

The room number was in the top right hand corner on a small slip of blue paper stapled to a packet of guidelines and basic rules for the apartments. Room 103, third floor.

We loaded everything into the nearest elevator and rode up to the third floor. When we got to room 103, there wasn't anyone else inside. It was a suite so there were three bedrooms, one bathroom, a full kitchen, and a living room. Caroline helped me unpack my things into one of the empty dressers in one of the empty rooms. The walls were white, as was the bedspread and the furniture. There was one window overlooking the parking lot. By the time we finished unpacking, it was getting dark.

"I'd better head back," Caroline said throwing my pillow on the bed. She was going to drive all night through Indiana and Ohio and spend the night in Pennsylvania. In the morning she would go the rest of the way through New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire to Maine.

I threw my arms around her. My mom had always been my best friend. I had to admit, at first it would be hard without her, but I would be able to adapt. I would make tons of new friends, she had told me before we left. When I pulled away, she was crying again.

"Well, I better go," she said, swiping the tears away. "You have a good time here and call me when you get the chance."

I nodded and hugged here again. "Be careful, Mom." She smiled and left the room. When I heard the front door close, I sighed. I walked to the window and watched her get in the car and leave. As soon as I couldn't see her anymore, I sat down on the bed. A feeling of independence and excitement filled my head. I was going to learn so much here. I would experience things I never would have been able to in Maine. I was nervous, but more than that open-minded and willing to change. I was starting over. I could be whoever I wanted to be. I was happy.


End file.
